Another bad musical start to the year…..RIP.

candybowl

candybowl

I didn’t even know he was sick. With Keith Emerson’s suicide earlier this year, that’s 2/3 of ELP now gone….very, very sad.

Greg Lake (1947 – 2016)

silly video but always loved this song in the brief 80s ‘ELP’

Other YT videos

Just read John Doe’s latest writing, Under the Big Black Sun, a history of sorts related to the LA punk scene of the late 70s/early 80s.

We saw him at The Tractor a few weeks ago – great show and they were promoting the book at the show, so got it from the library.

This is an interesting read for a number of reasons – it definitely brings back memories of that time, when those of us not living in LA (nor old enough to be punks in a band anyway) could only observe things from afar through local record stores and mags like The Rocket. It’s also definitely a window into a crazy mishmash of misfits and aspiring musicians, poets and outcasts seeking their own kind of community, with vignettes written by many others in the scene besides Doe (Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, Henry Rollins of Black Flag, Mike Watt from The Minutemen (whom we saw at the Tractor last year, too) – the list goes on. Finally, to me it was a bit eye-opening to all the drug and alcohol abuse that seemed to accompany the scene, at least according to the book. It’s obvious that sort of thing goes with the territory – but does it have to? Being on the outside I guess makes that a bit hard to relate to.

In any event, X has always been a fave band since that time, and they were one of, if not the first, band I saw play live. This book only serves to continue their legacy for both LA punks then and since – and is a love letter to all longtime fans. Thanks, John Doe.

can’t believe I missed this! this show was here last month on the 20th – dammit!

for those of you still not sure what a Theremin is (or haven’t seen 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still – one of my three fave 50’s movies, along with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The War of the Worlds) – here’s some more info.

candybowl

Missed Mike McCready’s annual Flight to Mars benefit rock show again this year with his UFO tribute band, doh! We were in OR doing Reach the Beach (see post tomorrow night). But thanks to the magic of YouTube (clips below), not a complete loss…also some clips on their Facebook page.

gotta love Mike McCready’s Flying V….Rudolf Schenker, eat your heart out!

Other clips from this year:

and from past years, some faves:

my alltime fave UFO song, Love to Love:

enjoy…

candybowl

I now know my June (2016) will not go unrequited. 🙂

Train Re-Records Led Zeppelin Album, Improves Plight of Humankind

that is *so* funny! Here’s hoping they tackle Black Sabbath’s Paranoid or Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast next! Ah, these are heady times, my friends… 🙂

candybowl

Continuing the terrible year for amazing musicians….Prince, RIP.

RIP Prince: A World Lit Up In Purple

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apparently Keith Emerson passed away this week – so sad! Another one of the great musical talents passes on…..RIP.

candybowl

saw The Brothers Comatose at The Tractor last night – great band! They are on an album release tour – check ’em out – tour dates here.

candybowl